" Strangers from distance lands friends of old, you've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor." Elrond said as he, Link, Gandalf, Frodo, and the others from distance lands sat in an opened yet private area in the opened in a circle.
Link leaned against the wall to the side of Elrond, across from Gandalf and Frodo, arm's crossed, slightly hidden in the shadows.
" Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate this one doom. Bring forth the ring, Frodo." The Elf Lord of Rivendell said.
Link watched as the Hobbit stood, and slowly made his way to the stone stand. He reached it, and slowly placed the ring in the center of the stone circle, before retreating back to his chair. Instant murmures began about the ring. Saying how they had thought it was gone, never to be seen again.
He heard the human who had dropped the sword handle yesterday say," So it is true." He noticed that Aragorn joined him in looking at the human, for his voice held a hint of desire, and his eyes as they studied the ring.
Link thought he heard slight speak from the ring, and listened in with his ears, but the words were too jambled to make out.
Then the human said," It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor." The human stood and began to walk looking at the others with great glee.
" Why not use this ring? Long has my my father kept the forces of Mordor at bay by the blood of our people. All you're lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him." The human added.
" You cannot weild it. None of us can. The one ring answer's to Sauron alone. It has no other master." Aragon said.
The one who deserved to rule over the men, Link decided.
" And what, would a ranger know of this matter?" the blond human asked a little annoyed.
" This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." The Prince Elf that Link remembered his name to be Legolas, said standing up. The elf Prince, if he was Hylian, reminded Link a little of himself. He was about to step in actually, if no one else did.
" Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" the human asked.
" An heir to the throne of Gondur." Legolas answered.
" Sit down, Legolas." Aragorn told him in perfect Hylian. Link really did like Aragorn already if he took the time to learn the old language of another race.
" Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." The human said, sitting back down. Link was seriously starting to see why Elrond thought it a joke for Gandalf to put his faith in men. If all men were like the blond one, Middle Earth was in bad shape, defiantly.
" Aragorn is right. We cannont use it." Gandalf agreed. The wizard and Link's eyes met across the room, and Link nodded which Gandalf returned, hidden.
" You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed." Elrond told them. He noted with slight satisfaction that the blond human looked angered and disappointed.
" Then what are we waiting for?" the Dwarf there said gruffly. He stood and grabbed his axe and approached the ring, and smashed it with the axe. The dwarf flew back, and the axe laid destroyed, the ring still intact.
He noticed Frodo flinch and he looked to the Hobbit. Frodo seemed disturbed in some way. He would have to take this up with Gandalf afterwards. He noticed though when Frodo grabbed his head, Gandalf saw, seeming concerned.
Then Link heard voices from the ring again, but once more he could not decipher it.
" The ring cannot be destroyed Gimli Son of Gloin, by any craft that we here posses. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the firey chasam from whence it came." Elrond said.
Link was glad to see the son of one of the Dwarves he had known 60 years ago did not falter like his brothers, and hide away from others problems. But he quickly looked back to the ring as he heard it speak again.
Link wouldn't admit this, but when the ring had been hit by the axe he had felt something deep within him. It was but a small sore for a split second before it disappeared, but he knew it was there. He noticed Frodo looking at the ring too, with wide eyes and breathing heavily.
" One of you must do this." Elrond added.
" One does not simply walk into Mordor. It's Black Gates are guarded by more then just Orc's. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the Great Eye is ever watchful. Tis a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breath is a poisonus field. Not with Ten Thousand men could you do this. It is folly." The blond human spoke. Legolas stood up quickly.
" Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond just said? The ring must be destroyed." The Prince of Elves said.
" And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?!" Gimli said angrily.
" And if we fail what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!" the blond human asked worriedly and angrily. Most likely for his own life then others though.
" I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli said annoyed standing up. The entire council burst into arguments of who would take it.
" If this is Middle Earth's only hope, then I'm afraid Middle Earth is doomed." Link muttered to himself. He saw Frodo glance at the ring and he said Gandalf shake his head. Gandalf stood, arguing with the others trying to get them to listen, but Link had his attention of Frodo, who was staring intently at the ring.
Both heard voices once more, but Link was getting annoyed that he could not ever understand it's speak. As Link and Frodo looked at the ring Link swore fire flew in it, but he was frozen, did not blink.
Suddenly Frodo stood up which broke Link's eye contact with the ring.
He watched Frodo stand and say loudly," I will take it!" but no one stopped, and Link was fed up and annoyed.
" LISTEN UP!" he yelled, his voice louder and stronger then all the others. They looked to him, as if just noticing him, before seeing Frodo. Frodo gave a grateful nod which Link didn't return.
" I will take it." Frodo said again and they all looked at him.
" I will take the ring to Mordor. Though, I do not know the way." He repeated.
" I will help you there Mr. Frodo Baggins. As long as it is you're to bare." Gandalf assured him, standing behind Frodo.
" If by life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword." Aragorn said, kneeling in front of Frodo. Link was proud of him.
" And you have my bow." Legolas added, joining them.
" And my axe." Gimli agreed, going with them as well.
" You carry the fate of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done." The other blond human agreed. Link shrugged, he suspected a few more coming up too.
As predicted, Sam yelled," HEY!" from behind the bush he hid and he raced out, joining the surprised council.
" Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me." Sam said. Link smiled inside slightly. Spoken like a true friend.
" No, I see it is highly impossible to separate you two when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Elrond said. Link smirked.
Wait til the twins come out Elrond, Link thought.
" Oi! We're coming too! You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" one of the twins said as they raced out and joined the others.
" Anyways, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission-quest-thing." The other twin said.
" Well that rules you out Pip." The other twin said. Link decided to add his word too, mostly because Gandalf was looking at him to.
" A moment more if I may have the time." Link said coming off his position of the wall, arm's still crossed as all eyes darted to him. Link glanced at the others as he walked, before stopping a short ways away from Frodo who, like the rest, looked at him with slight surprise.
" If I may join this group, I can offer no more then the rest. My sword, respect, a willing heart, and honor. This way all races will be united as they once were long ago." Link spoke.
" But you're an elf!" Gimli said. Link and Gandalf briefly met eyes and silently agreed it was time to come out.
" I am no elf Gimli. I am the brother race to Elves most likely never known to any of you until this day besides the Elves that are here themselves. I am a Hylian. One of the last two surviving ones who hails from Hyrule and keeps finding himself returning to Middle Earth." The Hylian spoke.
The Elven guards and Elvish prince immediately got out their weapons and pointed it at him, surprising the rest.
" Link." Elrond said quietly.
" You will deny help just because of an old grudge that connects to us by nothing then our races? I am surprised. I had such high respect for you already, Legolas Princes of the Elves of Mirkwood." Link said casuaully, arms still crossed.
" I need not you're opinion of myself Hylian." Legolas said with clear hostility.
" Enough Legolas! There is no need to shed blood when there will be much shed in the future. We need all the help we can get. Gimli, I'm sure you know the legend of Thorin Oakenshield son of Thráin's Company and how they succeeded in getting back the Lonely Mountain, do you not?" Gandalf asked.
" Of course! The Company of thirteen including you Gandalf!" Gimli spoke.
" Wrong Gimli. The Company of Thirteen including Gandalf and myself. I wasn't registered for some weird reason, but I helped Thorin and the rest reclaim the Dwarves home." Link told them. They were surprised. Link looked to Legolas.
" I'm not looking for you're approval for me to join nor for you to get along with me. All I ask is that our feud between our two races be silenced for now until this entire thing is over. You might find though, that my assistance will be needed should Orc's or Goblins in the hords I'm sure they are, come. And I would like to be able to give my help for that." Link said coolly.
They were silent for a moment, before in Anicent Hylian, Legolas said," Put you're weapons down." They did, reluctantly.
" Link, you never mentioned this before." Elrond said, a little hurt Link believed, because of his betrayal to the man.
" I woke up in a world I did not know in a world I knew no one of in the middle of the Elvish race who swore death upon all Hylians Elrond. That was the only time I met you until now once more my friend. I hope that because my race is a sworn enemy against yours that it will disrupt our relation with each other." I said to him. After a moment, he nodded.
" I will accept it Link, for many times you have been here and shown respect for our race, belief's, though it was not yours to do so. I will return the curtosy to you." Elrond said. Link nodded back, and joined next to the others.
The band was completely.